Keeping the Light Burning Bright: A Collaborative Approach Toward Mentoring Excellence

Abstract

The Midwest Experiences in Mentoring Excellence (MEME) is a multi-institutional effort to improve mentoring experiences for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) faculty who identify as women and are from historically marginalized groups in higher education. The objective is to initiate systemic change in mentoring through four main activities: mentor training, mentor-mentee matching, mentoring circles, and resource development. Participating regional institutions include IUPUI, Ball State University, Cleveland State University, University of Cincinnati, Iowa State University, and Michigan State University. To date, 91 faculty have participated in 1-2 MEME activities since Spring 2021. We used internal program-wide surveys each semester, periodic post-event surveys, and collected demographic information on participants including race, gender, academic rank, tenure status, years in academia, and early academic career exposure. We also used external instruments such as the Intercultural Development Inventory and post-event surveys administered by the Center for the Improvement of Mentored Experiences in Research for mentor training participants. Combined, our MEME activities have fostered cross-institutional connections among participants and program administrators. We have also amassed a suite of STEM mentorship resources on our website--https://www.aspirememe.org. MEME demonstrates the power of collaboration to foster cross-institutional diverse communities of mentorship. Developing a regional network is necessary to address disparities in STEM mentoring and build support networks among minoritized STEM faculty who often are “the only ones” in their departments. Equally important is fortifying the training of non-minoritized faculty mentors to ensure the success and advancement of minoritized faculty, so that they may thrive, and their lights burn brightly.